<html>
<head>
<META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<title>SimpleTest for PHP regression test documentation</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="docs.css" title="Styles">
</head>
<body>
<div class="menu_back">
<div class="menu">
<h2>
<a href="index.html">SimpleTest</a>
</h2>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="overview.html">Overview</a>
</li>
<li>
<span class="chosen">Unit tester</span>
</li>
<li>
<a href="group_test_documentation.html">Group tests</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="server_stubs_documentation.html">Server stubs</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="mock_objects_documentation.html">Mock objects</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="partial_mocks_documentation.html">Partial mocks</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="reporter_documentation.html">Reporting</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="expectation_documentation.html">Expectations</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="web_tester_documentation.html">Web tester</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="form_testing_documentation.html">Testing forms</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<h1>PHP Unit Test documentation</h1>
<div class="content">
        <p>
<a class="target" name="unit">
<h2>Unit test cases</h2>
</a>
</p>
            <p>
                The core system is a regression testing framework built around
                test cases.
                A sample test case looks like this...
<pre>
<strong>class FileTestCase extends UnitTestCase {
    function FileTestCase() {
        $this-&gt;UnitTestCase('File test');
    }
}</strong>
</pre>
                If no test name is supplied when chaining the constructor then
                the class name will be taken instead.
                This will be the name displayed in the test results.
            </p>
            <p>
                Actual tests are added as methods in the test case whose names
                by default start with the string "test" and
                when the test case is invoked all such methods are run in
                the order that PHP introspection finds them.
                As many test methods can be added as needed.
                For example...
<pre>
require_once('../classes/writer.php');

class FileTestCase extends UnitTestCase {
    function FileTestCase() {
        $this-&gt;UnitTestCase('File test');
    }<strong>
    
    function setUp() {
        @unlink('../temp/test.txt');
    }
    
    function tearDown() {
        @unlink('../temp/test.txt');
    }
    
    function testCreation() {
        $writer = &amp;new FileWriter('../temp/test.txt');
        $writer-&gt;write('Hello');
        $this-&gt;assertTrue(file_exists('../temp/test.txt'), 'File created');
    }</strong>
}
</pre>
                Our only test method at the moment is <span class="new_code">testCreation()</span>
                where we check that a file has been created by our
                <span class="new_code">Writer</span> object.
                We could have put the <span class="new_code">unlink()</span>
                code into this method as well, but by placing it in
                <span class="new_code">setUp()</span> and
                <span class="new_code">tearDown()</span> we can use it with
                other test methods that we add.
            </p>
            <p>
                The <span class="new_code">setUp()</span> method is run
                just before each and every test method.
                <span class="new_code">tearDown()</span> is run just after
                each and every test method.
            </p>
            <p>
                You can place some test case set up into the constructor to
                be run once for all the methods in the test case, but
                you risk test inteference that way.
                This way is slightly slower, but it is safer.
                Note that if you come from a JUnit background this will not
                be the behaviour you are used to.
                JUnit surprisingly reinstantiates the test case for each test
                method to prevent such interference.
                SimpleTest requires the end user to use <span class="new_code">setUp()</span>, but
                supplies additional hooks for library writers.
            </p>
            <p>
                The means of reporting test results (see below) are by a
                visiting display class
                that is notified by various <span class="new_code">assert...()</span>
                methods.
                Here is the full list for the <span class="new_code">UnitTestCase</span>
                class, the default for SimpleTest...
                <table>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertTrue($x)</span></td><td>Fail if $x is false</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertFalse($x)</span></td><td>Fail if $x is true</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertNull($x)</span></td><td>Fail if $x is set</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertNotNull($x)</span></td><td>Fail if $x not set</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertIsA($x, $t)</span></td><td>Fail if $x is not the class or type $t</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertNotA($x, $t)</span></td><td>Fail if $x is of the class or type $t</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertEqual($x, $y)</span></td><td>Fail if $x == $y is false</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertNotEqual($x, $y)</span></td><td>Fail if $x == $y is true</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertIdentical($x, $y)</span></td><td>Fail if $x == $y is false or a type mismatch</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertNotIdentical($x, $y)</span></td><td>Fail if $x == $y is true and types match</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertReference($x, $y)</span></td><td>Fail unless $x and $y are the same variable</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertCopy($x, $y)</span></td><td>Fail if $x and $y are the same variable</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertWantedPattern($p, $x)</span></td><td>Fail unless the regex $p matches $x</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertNoUnwantedPattern($p, $x)</span></td><td>Fail if the regex $p matches $x</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertNoErrors()</span></td><td>Fail if any PHP error occoured</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertError($x)</span></td><td>Fail if no PHP error or incorrect message</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">assertErrorPattern($p)</span></td><td>Fail unless the error matches the regex $p</td>
</tr>
                </table>
                All assertion methods can take an optional description to
                label the displayed result with.
                If omitted a default message is sent instead which is usually
                sufficient.
                This default message can still be embedded in your own message
                if you include "%s" within the string.
                All the assertions return true on a pass or false on failure.
            </p>
            <p>
                Some examples...
<pre>
<strong>$variable = null;
$this-&gt;assertNull($variable, 'Should be cleared');</strong>
</pre>
                ...will pass and normally show no message.
                If you have
                <a href="http://www.lastcraft.com/display_subclass_tutorial.php">set up the tester to display passes</a>
                as well then the message will be displayed as is.
<pre>
<strong>$this-&gt;assertIdentical(0, false, 'Zero is not false [%s]');</strong>
</pre>
                This will fail as it performs a type
                check as well as a comparison between the two values.
                The "%s" part is replaced by the default
                error message that would have been shown if we had not
                supplied our own.
                This also allows us to nest test messages.
<pre>
<strong>$a = 1;
$b = $a;
$this-&gt;assertReference($a, $b);</strong>
</pre>
                Will fail as the variable <span class="new_code">$a</span> is a copy of <span class="new_code">$b</span>.
<pre>
<strong>$this-&gt;assertWantedPattern('/hello/i', 'Hello world');</strong>
</pre>
                This will pass as using a case insensitive match the string
                <span class="new_code">hello</span> is contained in <span class="new_code">Hello world</span>.
<pre>
<strong>trigger_error('Disaster');
trigger_error('Catastrophe');
$this-&gt;assertError();
$this-&gt;assertError('Catastrophe');
$this-&gt;assertNoErrors();</strong>
</pre>
                This one takes some explanation as in fact they all pass!
            </p>
            <p>
                PHP errors in SimpleTest are trapped and placed in a queue.
                Here the first error check catches the "Disaster"
                message without checking the text and passes.
                This removes the error from the queue.
                The next error check tests not only the existence of the error,
                but also the text which here matches so another pass.
                With the queue now empty the last test will pass as well.
                If any unchecked errors are left at the end of a test method then
                an exception will be reported in the test.
                Note that SimpleTest cannot catch compile time PHP errors.
            </p>
            <p>
                The test cases also have some convenience methods for debugging
                code or extending the suite...
                <table>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">setUp()</span></td><td>Runs this before each test method</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">tearDown()</span></td><td>Runs this after each test method</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">before()</span></td><td>Runs this before each test without affecting setUp()</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">after()</span></td><td>Runs this after each test without affecting tearDown()</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">pass()</span></td><td>Sends a test pass</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">fail()</span></td><td>Sends a test failure</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">error()</span></td><td>Sends an exception event</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">sendMessage()</span></td><td>Sends a status message to those displays that support it</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">signal($type, $payload)</span></td><td>Sends a user defined message to the test reporter</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">dump($var)</span></td><td>Does a formatted <span class="new_code">print_r()</span> for quick and dirty debugging</td>
</tr>
                    <tr>
<td><span class="new_code">swallowErrors()</span></td><td>Clears the error queue</td>
</tr>
                </table>
            </p>
        
        <p>
<a class="target" name="extending_unit">
<h2>Extending test cases</h2>
</a>
</p>
            <p>
                Of course additional test methods can be added to create
                specific types of test case too so as to extend framework...
<pre>
require_once('simpletest/unit_tester.php');
<strong>
class FileTester extends UnitTestCase {
    function FileTester($name = false) {
        $this-&gt;UnitTestCase($name);
    }
    
    function assertFileExists($filename, $message = '%s') {
        $this-&gt;assertTrue(
                file_exists($filename),
                sprintf($message, 'File [$filename] existence check'));
    }</strong>
}
</pre>
                Here the SimpleTest library is held in a folder called
                <em>simpletest</em> that is local.
                Substitute your own path for this.
            </p>
            <p>
                This new case can be now be inherited just like
                a normal test case...
<pre>
class FileTestCase extends <strong>FileTester</strong> {
    function FileTestCase() {<strong>
        $this-&gt;FileTester('File test');</strong>
    }
    
    function setUp() {
        @unlink('../temp/test.txt');
    }
    
    function tearDown() {
        @unlink('../temp/test.txt');
    }
    
    function testCreation() {
        $writer = &amp;new FileWriter('../temp/test.txt');
        $writer-&gt;write('Hello');<strong>
        $this-&gt;assertFileExists('../temp/test.txt');</strong>
    }
}
</pre>
            </p>
            <p>
                If you want a test case that does not have all of the
                <span class="new_code">UnitTestCase</span> assertions,
                only your own and <span class="new_code">assertTrue()</span>,
                you need to extend the <span class="new_code">SimpleTestCase</span>
                class instead.
                It is found in <em>simple_test.php</em> rather than
                <em>unit_tester.php</em>.
                See <a href="group_test_documentation.html">later</a> if you
                want to incorporate other unit tester's
                test cases in your test suites.
            </p>
        
        <p>
<a class="target" name="running_unit">
<h2>Running a single test case</h2>
</a>
</p>
            <p>
                You won't often run single test cases except when bashing
                away at a module that is having difficulty and you don't
                want to upset the main test suite.
                Here is the scaffolding needed to run the a lone test case...
<pre>
&lt;?php
    require_once('simpletest/unit_tester.php');<strong>
    require_once('simpletest/reporter.php');</strong>
    require_once('../classes/writer.php');

    class FileTestCase extends UnitTestCase {
        function FileTestCase() {
            $this-&gt;UnitTestCase('File test');
        }
    }<strong>
    
    $test = &amp;new FileTestCase();
    $test-&gt;run(new HtmlReporter());</strong>
?&gt;
</pre>
                This script will run as is, but will output zero passes
                and zero failures until test methods are added.
            </p>
        
    </div>
<div class="copyright">
            Copyright<br>Marcus Baker, Jason Sweat 2004
        </div>
</body>
</html>
